One of the key differences that I see between a regular side hustle and a successful one is branding.
A lot of people only see their hustle as a way to make money on the side, and don’t really pay a lot of attention to the details. But that’s what keeps these projects from growing into the powerhouses they could be.
Sure, a side hustle might only be a way to make money at first, but you need to think beyond that. You need to build a brand.
When I first started this project, I quickly learned that the way I presented myself, and my product, was crucial to its success. It wasn’t just about showing people what I could do, but also who I was. And this week, I’ll teach you how to build a powerful personal brand of your own.
This week’s newsletter brings you:
- Trends. We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. Dive deep into the stats that power personal brands; including colors, authenticity, and brand consistency.
- Strategies. We’ll discuss the importance of building a personal brand and the benefits that come with it. We’ll also go over the elements that make a good personal brand, and how to build yours.
- Tool of the Week. Building your brand will require some strong online assets and management, so we are going to show you the best tools you can use to get a logo and host your own site.
And now, without further ado, let’s get down to business!
Trends
To analyze the benefits of building a personal brand, we unpacked the available research on what makes brands more authentic, the importance of brand colors, and how brand consistency can impact the growth of your side hustle.
What makes brands more authentic
Nobody likes to be scammed by an online business, which is why consumers tend to buy from people they trust. Building a personal brand is all about showing the world your authentic self.
Our research shows that 88% of people believe that authenticity is an important consideration when choosing which brand to spend their money with.
Importance of Brand Color
Brand colors are important and can really create an impact on your personal brand. Why do you think Cadbury Chocolate trademarked the specific shade of purple they use on their packaging?
Our research shows that many people identify brands through color and logo – so it’s worth putting some consideration into how you visually present your personal brand.
Logo Color Breakdown
Among Fortune 500 companies, blue is the top logo color by far, accounting for nearly 40% of the entire list.
It may be the least popular logo color in terms of numbers, but gold definitely makes a statement! The two companies that use gold, Markel and MGM Resorts International, rely on this unique color choice to position themselves as high-end, luxury brands.
Importance of Brand Consistency
Consumers like to know what to expect when they start engaging with a personal brand. Therefore, consistency across all areas of your side hustle is important. Our research shows that the area where it’s most important to be consistent is in customer communications.
Growth Impact of Brand Consistency
By committing to consistency in your side hustle, you can expect to see as much as a 20% increase in revenue growth over time! Our research shows that it pays to be consistent online.
Strategies
Numbers always look nice on paper, but they can only tell you one side of the story. Read on to learn why you need to build your personal brand, and how!
What are the perks of building a personal brand?
People trust you
Having a personal brand allows you to create trust with your audience while also positioning yourself as an authority and thought leader in your sector.
You can attract more users and clients
Creating a personal brand that positions you as the go-to expert in a particular sector or specialty will help you attract more of your preferred customers. It’s also easier for individuals to recommend your product when they see you as the expert.
It helps you build a long-term platform
Your side hustle will evolve over time. Over the course of your career, you may potentially launch many enterprises in different areas. Your personal brand follows you from one business to the next.
Adds more value to your product
Having a strong personal brand allows you to charge higher costs for your products and services. You become a commodity that competes on price if you don’t have a brand. And there will always be competitors willing to undercut your price.
You can catch some social media spotlight
It’s easier to be found online, and shared around, when your product is more than just a product. The media is always hunting for people that are experts on their products, or that have stories to share.
You can recognize this logo anywhere.
Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels
Your brand is what will set you apart from your competition, and it helps to create a lasting impression in the minds of your audience and clients. Without a personal brand that appeals to people, you’ll have a hard time getting a market to engage with you.
In this day and age, people prefer to follow other people rather than follow companies. We want our side hustles to have an identity, and not just be something to consume. As a result, building your personal brand will help your side hustle gain recognition.
What makes a good personal brand?
If you ask 10 people what makes a good brand, you’ll get 10 different answers. But there will be some common elements in between. In our opinion, these 4 elements are crucial to any good personal brand:
Aspire to inspire
Strong personal brands establish a following by inspiring and resonating with their audience. We can also consider powerful personal brands that are not mission-driven but have a large following due to the power of their magnetic appeal.
What makes you Unique?
Carving out our own unique value proposition (UVP) frequently falls into a blind spot: it’s often simpler to notice the uniqueness or value of others than it is to perceive our own.
Your unique selling proposition (UVP) will become your brand statement and will serve as the foundation of your personal brand. What makes it strong is when you combine what you do with why you do it, as told through your unique brand story.
Remember, your brand is you.
Image by Soumyasinha on Medium.
Tell your story
A distinct narrative serves as the foundation of a personal brand. We all know that narrative is the key to effective communication, but we’re focusing on your core brand story here. The most captivating brand tales emerge from adversity. Some have extraordinary and remarkable achievements at their heart.
Many entrepreneurs come to me questioning if they have a brand story at all. Most people doubt their own distinctiveness. The answer is “yes”: we all have a story to tell, and each one is unique and intriguing. Forget about what stories you believe may appeal to others; the important thing is to consider what is burning inside you to be shown.
Show you know your stuff
An important component of personal branding is to position yourself as someone who knows their stuff. This means that your personal brand is built around your area(s) of expertise, which you leverage through the brand-building process. People trust those they see as authorities in their fields.
What are your areas of specialization? What might others be able to learn from you?
How to build your personal Brand
We told you why they are good, and what makes them good, now let’s talk about how to build a personal brand for your side hustle:
Start with a strong foundation
In your journey to create your personal brand, you’ll start by laying a solid foundation on which to boldly and authentically build. In this scenario, the most vital principle is authenticity.
A widespread misconception is that having a personal brand includes constructing a persona. A persona, on the other hand, is, by definition, a façade. It is not a true reflection of who you are.
Your personal brand should not be a carbon copy of you. Branding does not involve posing as someone you are not. It all comes down to purposefully and tactically presenting your true self to your audience and customers. Your personal brand should accurately represent your skills, hobbies, values, and beliefs.
Know your audience
To get people to engage with your product, you must be willing to let go of those that don’t connect with it. This means building your brand for a specific group and focusing on it.
The most common error people make when building a personal brand is attempting to appeal to everyone. Not every consumer will be a suitable fit for you.
It may seem counterintuitive but trying to be loved by everyone will result in you attracting no one. You must be controversial to stand out. Not everyone who hears or sees your message will like or agree with you, which is just fine. You don’t have to reach out to everyone to build a successful business. All you have to do now is discover your ideal clients.
A good way to find the right target is to make a profile of the type of client that you think will connect with your brand. The more you know about your ideal client, including their pain points, wants and needs, the better prepared you will be to give them products and services that they genuinely want and need.
Make a killer offer
To build a profitable personal brand, you must have something to sell to your target audience. You’ll need an intriguing offer that will help your audience solve a specific problem or achieve a certain result.
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of creating a product or service that they want, only to discover that no one else wants it or is willing to pay for it.
This is why, before producing a product or service, it is vital to identify your target client. When you know who you want to help, you can create a proposal that is the best option for them.
Show your brand through your platforms
The importance of first impressions cannot be overstated. When your target audience sees your brand, they should immediately understand who you are and how you can help them. They should feel as if they’ve arrived at the appropriate spot. If this does not happen within a few seconds, most new visitors will leave your website.
As a result, your personal website becomes an essential component of building a personal brand. A strong social media presence is equally important, but you do not own or manage any of the social networks on which you have a presence. Your website is a platform that you own and control, and in many cases, reading your website is the first step your target audience takes to become a client.
More importantly, your website should be intended to convert infrequent visitors into paying clients. There are a number of critical components that must be present for this to happen, and the majority of them should be located on your website.
Provide good content
Creating and distributing free content is one of the most effective tactics for growing your brand and gaining the confidence of your target audience. Instead of striving to persuade your audience that you can help them, you provide content that actually helps them. This builds trust and establishes you as a subject matter expert and authority in your profession.
It’s no coincidence that today’s most successful personal brands (Grant Cardone, Marie Forleo, and Gary Vaynerchuck, to name a few) publish a lot of content online to help build and nurture their audience.
The content cycles.
Image by Wikimedia.
Show your brand
Publishing content on your own platforms is an excellent method to grow your following, but it requires a significant amount of work. Exposure to other people’s audiences is a faster method to grow your own.
Here are a few common methods for increasing your visibility:
- Partnerships & joint ventures
- Guest blogging
- Interviews & PR
- Public speaking
Build a community
Instead of attempting to establish a huge and diverse audience, focus on being a leader of a community in a certain niche. Define your target audience and create a community for them to communicate, exchange ideas, encourage one another, and contact you directly.
Here are a few ideas for how to create a community around your brand and business:
- Having Membership Sites
- Hosting Live Events
- Creating Facebook Groups
Tool of the Week
There are two things you will need to develop your personal brand: a logo and a website. And for each of those, there is a tool you can make use of.
For starters, if you need a logo look no further than Fiverr. Fiverr can get you in touch with talented designers from all over the world to create the perfect logo for your brand.
To make that process easier, Fiverr will start by asking you a series of questions about what you have in mind for your logo. This ensures that by the time you speak with a designer, they already have an idea of what you are looking for.
It will take some time and research to find the right designer, as there are literally thousands of designers in the marketplace, but it’s a good and affordable place to start.
And if you are looking for a hosting platform, look no further than Bluehost. You can get hosting for as little as $2.95 a month and getting your website up and running is easier than you’d think.
It comes with 24/7 customer support, a free domain name for a year, and a beginner-friendly user interface. It doesn’t get much better than that when you are just starting out.